Dry suit sizing and other questions

[ranger979]

This past weekend I tried out a dry suit at a DUI demo day. The suit that they gave me seemed too small. However, the LDS owner said that if anything it was too large. She said that I could right between the size I was wearing and the next size. She said trilaminate dry suits are a lot less flexable then wet suits and this is normal and you will get used to it.

I barely had enough flexablity to reach the shoulder dump valve and I could bend my legs enough so that I could put on my fins. I had to have my dive buddy put them on. You have to keep in mind, however, that I have poor flexibility and can barely reach to get my fins on in a wet suit. I also couldn't get the suit of afterwords unassisted. I couldn't get the suit pulled off my shoulders.

The owner wasn't trying to sell me the suit and knew that I wasn't planning on getting a suit anytime soon so she had no incentive to lie to me. I believe she was just basing her opinion on the sizing charts.

Should a dry suit really fit this way?

Also while diving I tried dumping air from the shoulder valve. It seemed as if the air wasn't dumping. I could see or hear any bubbles but the valve was pretty much outside of my field of vision. I did loose bouyance so I must have been dumping air. Is this normal?

I was also wondering about the length time neoprene dry suits take to dry out. This seems to be one of the main negatives people seem to have about them. However, I would assume that they are similar to wet suits in this respect. Is this correct or do they take longer to dry? If they to take longer, why?

 

[jonnythan]

The way a drysuit is cut makes a lot of difference in how flexible you are in it. My Bare suit, for example, is way too big, but I don't have a very good range of motion in it. In a DUI TLS that I tried this weekend, by comparison, fit much closer to my body but still gave me a superior range of motion.

A drysuit should fit close enough to your body to keep air movement and trapping to a minimum but still give you enough flexibility to put your fins on and reach your tank valve. Sounds like the one you tried was too small or poorly tailored.

 

[CALI68]

It's actually surprising just how close a TLS can fit and still offer great mobility. Mine is very form fitting yet the range of motion is outstanding.

 

[AevnsGrandpa]

Hi Ranger,

I'm planning on going to a DUI Demo at Pearl Lake in Illinois in June.

How do they handle running all the divers through? I have never used a dry suit, hence the reason I am going. Is there anything other than my normal dive gear I need to or should bring??

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[jonnythan]

I was just at a DUI day this past weekend. You sign up, they show you the different suits, ask what you want to try, get you sized and into one, then take you diving.

Bring all your regular gear. You will need everything but exposure protection and possibly fins.